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Drugs and supplements studied for slowing aging

Medicines first made for other uses, and supplements, that researchers are testing against aging itself.

Peptides studied for longevity: elamipretide (SS-31), MOTS-c, epitalon, humanin and more →

What has been tested, and how far it has got

2RapamycinStage 2 · Small studies in people · Prescription, used off-label for agingRapamycin, also called sirolimus, is a prescription drug that suppresses the immune system and is used to prevent kidney transplant rejection.Main risk: The pages stress that it can make it harder to fight infections and raise the risk of serious infection.4MetforminStage 4 · Widely recommended · Prescription, approved for diabetesMetformin belongs to a class of drugs called biguanides.Main risk: Metformin may rarely cause a serious, life-threatening condition called lactic acidosis.2NAD+ boostersStage 2 · Small studies in people · Over-the-counter supplementsNAD+ boosters are supplements, such as NAD+ precursors like nicotinamide riboside and NMN, meant to raise levels of NAD+, a molecule in cells that declines with age.Main risk: A review of studies found all studies reported some side effects, most often muscle pain, nervous disorders, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and headaches.2NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide)Stage 2 · Small studies in people · Over-the-counter supplementA molecule the body uses to make NAD+, which cells need to turn food into energy.Main risk: A review of studies found that oral NMN and NR (a related compound) were generally well tolerated over weeks to months in people.2NR (nicotinamide riboside)Stage 2 · Small studies in people · Over-the-counter supplementNR (nicotinamide riboside) is a compound that can raise levels of NAD+, a molecule in the body that declines with age.Main risk: A review of studies found oral NR was generally well tolerated over weeks to months.2Alpha-ketoglutarate (Ca-AKG)Stage 2 · Small studies in people · Over-the-counter supplementA molecule the body makes while turning food into energy. Supplements usually use a calcium form, Ca-AKG.2GlyNAC (glycine and NAC)Stage 2 · Small studies in people · Over-the-counter supplementsNAC is used as a drug for acetaminophen overdose and to help break up mucus.Main risk: The pages list stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and similar problems as the common side effects of NAC.2SpermidineStage 2 · Small studies in people · Over-the-counter supplementA natural compound in foods such as wheat germ, soybeans and aged cheese. It is studied for its role in how cells recycle their parts.2Urolithin AStage 2 · Small studies in people · Over-the-counter supplementUrolithin A is a gut metabolite, a substance made in the gut, derived from ellagic acid.Main risk: A review of studies found that adverse events not related to urolithin A were mild or moderate.
The big planned trial

TAME led by the American Federation for Aging Research

Targeting Aging with Metformin: a planned six-year trial in about 14 medical centers, giving healthy people aged 65 to 80 either metformin or a placebo, to test whether a drug can slow aging itself rather than one disease. The FDA approves drugs only for recognized diseases, and aging isn't one, so the trial is also meant as a test case for that. It is not registered on ClinicalTrials.gov yet, and AFAR is raising money to launch it. AFAR: NPR spotlights the TAME Trial ↗

  1. Not yet started: AFAR is still raising money to launch it.

    “AFAR is leading fundraising efforts to support and launch the TAME Trial.” AFAR ↗

Not yet knownWhether metformin slows aging in people without diabetes. Trials so far have been small or measured other things; see the metformin research above.

Aging research in animals: dogs

LOY-002 by Loyal

A daily pill for older dogs, not people, that Loyal hopes will be the first drug approved to extend a dog's healthy lifespan. The FDA's veterinary center has accepted two of the three technical sections needed for conditional approval; the drug is not approved, and it has not been shown to lengthen dogs' lives. Loyal press release, 13 January 2026 ↗

  1. The FDA accepted the safety section of Loyal's application, the second of three.Company-reported, not peer-reviewed

    “With the Reasonable Expectation of Effectiveness (RXE) and TAS sections now complete, LOY-002 has earned FDA-acceptance for two of three major technical sections required for market launch.” Loyal press release, 13 January 2026 ↗

Not yet knownWhether LOY-002 lengthens dogs' lives (a large placebo-controlled study in dogs is under way), and what, if anything, it means for people.

Recent research

Summary of earlier studies · Current issues in molecular biology

Three common treatments and their possible links to aging and heart health

This review summarizes earlier studies on metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, and fasting, and suggests a plan for using them together.

Original title: Metformin, SGLT2 Inhibitors, and Intermittent Fasting: Convergent Pathways to Healthspan Extension, Cardiovascular Longevity, and Cancer Prevention-A Narrative Review.Trial in 60 healthy adults aged 40 to 70 · ClinicalTrials.gov

A planned trial of trigonelline supplements in healthy adults aged 40 to 70

This trial plans to test four doses of a supplement against a placebo and a similar supplement, NMN.

Original title: Effects of Trigonelline Monohydrate on NAD+ Metabolism, Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability in Healthy AdultsSummary of earlier studies · Frontiers in neurology

How a body chemical called NAD+ may relate to Parkinson's disease

This review summarizes earlier work on NAD+, a chemical that helps cells make energy.

Original title: NAD+ signaling in Parkinson's disease: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic perspectives.New trial · ClinicalTrials.gov

Can metformin help prevent frailty in older adults?

This registered trial was set up to test whether the diabetes drug metformin can prevent frailty.

Original title: Metformin for Preventing Frailty in High-risk Older AdultsStudy in Human skin cells and skin samples in a lab, plus randomized studies in healthy people · iScience

Urolithin A cream may help skin in lab and small human tests

Researchers tested a skin cream with urolithin A on skin cells, skin samples, and people.

Original title: Topical application of urolithin A activates mitophagy and enhances mitochondrial function to promote skin longevity.New trial · ClinicalTrials.gov

A study will test an NMN supplement for exercise endurance in older adults

This is a planned trial that has not reported results yet.

Original title: Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Supplementation for Exercise Tolerance Improvement in Healthy Older AdultsNew trial · ClinicalTrials.gov

A planned trial of sirolimus in women with a higher Alzheimer's risk gene

This is a planned study that has not reported results yet.

Original title: Effects of Sirolimus on Asymptomatic ApoE4 CarriersStudy in 145 non-frail or pre-frail older adults in a randomized trial · medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences

Metformin slowed frailty and lowered biological age in older adults

In a two-year trial, metformin slowed a frailty index score and lowered two blood-based aging clocks compared with placebo.

Original title: A Randomized Clinical Trial of Metformin to Reduce Frailty in Older Adults with Glucose Intolerance.

The 8 newest are shown. All the latest research →

What experts say

“TAME is not a moonshot. It’s not even about scientific achievement really, it’s more about political achievement. Metformin is a tool to get aging as an indication.”

Nir Barzilai, Head of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine; scientific director for AFAR · STAT · Aug 9, 2022 · on Metformin · Source ↗

“But it’s premature to make any clinical recommendations based on the results from our study. NMN needs to be tested in more people and for longer periods of time to determine if it has anti-ageing effects in humans,”

Samuel Klein, doctor and nutritional specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, United States · Nature · on NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) · Source ↗

“Finding an effect in muscle tissue is very interesting and does demonstrate that NMN is not inert,”

Samuel Klein, doctor and nutritional specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, United States · Nature · on NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) · Source ↗

“It mightn’t be wise to increase cellular entry of NMN, as an increased intracellular NMN/NAD + ratio activates SARM1, an executor of axon degeneration.”

Evandro Fei Fang, molecular gerontologist leading an anti-ageing laboratory at the University of Oslo, Norway · Nature · on NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) · Source ↗

Back to age reversal →

This is general information gathered from the sources listed, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting anything new.